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Physical Symptoms of Depression
That Teens Shouldn’t Ignore

Author:
Jemma Strain
Jemma Strain
B.S. Psychology
Editor:
Emma Loker
Emma Loker
B.S.
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Depression affects more than a teenager’s mood and emotions – it also affects the body. In fact, while many are aware of depression’s emotional symptoms, such as persistent low mood and feelings of hopelessness, some of the early warning signs include physical symptoms. 

If you’re concerned about depression in yourself, or someone you care about, support and advice are available. Often, the first step in better mental health is understanding whether there’s a problem, and awareness of the physical signs of depression in teenagers can help. 

This page covers:

  • What teen depression is
  • The physical signs of depression in teenagers
  • Recognizing physical symptoms of depression in teens and what to do
  • Treatment for the physical signs of depression in teenagers
  • When to seek support for the physical signs of depression in teenagers
Physical signs of depression in teenage girl

What Is Teen Depression?

Teen depression is the second most common mental health problem in adolescents – second only to anxiety disorders, which share similar symptoms. According to the World Health Foundation, depression is estimated to occur in 1.4% of teenagers aged between 10-14 years old, and 3.5% of those aged between 15-19 years.1

On the lower end of the scale of severity, depression can cause long-lasting low moods, but more severe symptoms can lead to feelings of hopelessness and thoughts about death. Plus, the longer depression remains untreated, the more likely symptoms are to worsen. 

Many people are aware of depression’s effects on mood and how it can create persistent feelings of sadness, worthlessness, and hopelessness. However, fewer are familiar with the bodily indicators of adolescent depression.

Physical Symptoms of depression

Recognizing physical symptoms of depression in teens can help you or a loved one understand when there’s an issue – and whether it’s time to seek support. 

Somatic Symptoms of Adolescent Depression

The physical or somatic symptoms of adolescent depression include:

  • Fatigue or extreme tiredness
  • Sleep disturbances
  • Changes in appetite and weight
  • Stomach problems
  • Unexplained aches and pains
  • Headaches 
  • Changes to the menstrual cycle

To help you or a loved one recognize these signs, we discuss each in detail and why they might be happening. 

Physical Signs of Depression in Teenagers

The following are the physical signs of depression in teenagers. As everyone is different, a teen may only experience one of these signs – or they may frequently encounter multiple. 

Fatigue and Depression in Teenagers

“Fatigue” is a state of extreme tiredness and exhaustion. It’s normal to feel fatigued, for example, if you’ve done a lot of exercise or spent a long time studying. However, feeling fatigued a lot of the time and without any clear reason for why could be a physical symptom of depression. 

Many teens with depression report extreme tiredness as their main physical symptom; one study reported that as much as 73% of a sample of teens with depression said they had fatigue. Fatigue can have a big effect on a teenager’s life: it can cause low motivation to spend time with family and friends, difficulty completing tasks and responsibilities, and trouble concentrating on and finishing school work.2

Sleep Disturbances Related to Teen Depression

Even though fatigue is the most commonly reported physical symptom of depression, teens with depression often still struggle to sleep. There’s a well-documented relationship between depression and sleep, with 72% of teenagers in one study saying they had sleep problems due to depression – mostly insomnia. Plus, the more severe the symptoms of depression, the worse the difficulties with sleep can be. Such problems sleeping also can make the symptoms of depression worse, as it becomes harder to handle our emotions, mood, motivation, and concentration when we’re tired. 

Sleep Disturbances Related to Teen Depression

Both appetite loss and appetite increase are considered physical symptoms of teen depression. However, appetite and weight loss are more strongly associated with depression. Appetite increase and weight gain are thought to perhaps be more of a symptom of a form of depression called “atypical depression.”

Appetite changes could come down to the mental distraction teens experience when depressed – they might feel too preoccupied with negative thoughts and emotions to consider food. Yet, depression can also cause hormonal changes, such as increases in cortisol, which can also affect the desire to eat. Further, how the brain communicates between different areas in depression can result in a loss of pleasure in foods that were once enjoyable to a teen.3-5

Stomach Problems Related to Teenage Depression

We’ve all heard the saying “trust your gut,” but it’s only in recent years that people have started to realize the reason why we should listen to the feelings in our stomachs. The gut is often referred to as the “second brain” because it has a complex series of nerve cells that connect to the brain. This is why we can get butterflies in our stomachs before events like speaking in public. However, this connection between the gut and brain means that teenagers with depression may experience a variety of stomach and digestion problems.

Common stomach problems experienced in teens with depression include nausea, diarrhea, constipation, indigestion, and cramps. These symptoms can happen for a number of reasons: First, a troubled brain can send troubled signals to the stomach. Second, increases in cortisol due to stress can impact digestive functions. And finally, cortisol can create imbalances in the gut’s natural flora or bacteria.6,7 

Unexplained Aches and Pains in Depressed Teens

Teenagers with depression often complain of aches and pains that can’t be linked to any clear medical cause. This is because depression’s effects on the brain chemicals responsible for stress and pain management can lead to chronic issues such as muscle and joint pain, headaches, and gastrointestinal issues. 

What’s more, there can be a vicious cycle between pain and depression: the more depressed a teen feels, the more pain they might experience, which can lead to worse symptoms of depression. Additionally, in the long run, untreated depression is linked to health issues in adulthood such as heart disease.8,9

Headaches and Depression in Teens

Headaches and migraines may be common in teenagers with depression. The relationship between headaches and depression can actually go two ways: Frequent headaches can lead to depression, and depression can cause frequent headaches. In a study that examined both people who weren’t prone to depressive symptoms and those who were, it was found that those prone to depression experienced more frequent, long-lasting, and intense headaches.10

Changes in Menstrual Cycle in Depressed Teens

Menstrual cycle irregularity includes symptoms such as a too-long or too short gap between periods, heavy bleeding, and severe cramps. Depression can affect an area of the brain which can cause menstrual irregularities, leading to frequent pain, increased stress, and lower mood.11,12

Recognizing Physical Symptoms of Depression in Teens

The signs of depression in teenagers can look different from those in adults. For this reason, it’s important to be aware of the signs of depression in teenagers – including physical ones. 

Noticing one or two of the physical signs of depression in a teen might not mean they have depression, but it may still be a good idea to check in with them about their mental health. You can do so in the following ways.

1. Arrange a Visit to the Doctor

If a teen is regularly reporting physical signs of depression, it’s essential to get these issues checked out by a doctor to make sure there are no underlying medical problems. If there’s not, they may be a sign of depression. 

2. Pay Attention to Patterns

A teenager might notice physical pain such as stomach upset before they realize that their thoughts and feelings are contributing to it. Pay attention to what type of pain they’re reporting and when. For instance, they may feel more stomach pains in the morning before school than in the evening when they feel more relaxed. 

The patterns in the physical symptoms of depression they experience and when might give some sort of an insight into what they’re feeling depressed about. However, it’s good to be aware that depression often results from issues such as past experiences, so there may be no clear pattern in physical symptoms. 

3. Communicate With Them

Let a teen know that you’re there to support them – unconditionally. They may not be willing to open up about what they’re going through just yet, and might not even be aware of how their physical symptoms relate to their feelings. Yet, gently asking questions about the source of their symptoms could open the door to the conversation about mental health. 

For instance, you could ask questions like:

  • “I notice you’ve been very tired lately. Do you think how you’re feeling might be affecting your sleep?”
  • “You’ve lost some weight recently. Do you think your appetite has changed due to what you’re going through emotionally?”

4. Validate What They're Going Through

Experiencing physical symptoms or pain without a clear reason for why can be highly frustrating to a teen – they may feel misunderstood or like others don’t believe them. It’s good to let a teenager know that you believe them and that what they’re experiencing could be related to how they’re feeling. Acknowledging their symptoms as “real” can go a long way in helping them feel supported. 

5. Trust Your Gut

A teen showing physical signs of depression may insist that nothing is wrong. While this may be the case, it’s important to trust your instincts. Depression can have very serious consequences for a teen’s emotional and physical health, so ignoring symptoms won’t make them go away. If a teen won’t open up to you, you could consider turning to a third party, such as a mental health professional, for advice.  

If you’re concerned that a teen is showing physical symptoms of depression, the best step for their well-being can be talking to a mental health professional. Professional mental health treatment can help a teen understand the source of their symptoms and cope with their feelings in healthy ways. 

Stomach physical signs of depression

Treatment for the Physical Signs of Depression in Teenagers

As the physical symptoms of depression don’t come from a medical illness, they are best treated through mental health approaches such as therapy. A doctor may prescribe medications such as antidepressants for the physical signs of depression, but these typically work best alongside therapy. 

The most effective therapy approaches for the physical signs of depression in teenagers include:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

CBT is effective for depression in teens as it can help a teen understand the source of their physical symptoms and how they relate to their emotions. It can help a teen manage physical symptoms by identifying and challenging unhealthy thoughts and building healthy ways to cope with difficult emotions. 

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

If previous experiences are contributing to a teen’s physical symptoms of depression, EMDR can help them process these in a safe, supportive environment. EMDR changes the way trauma is stored in the brain and helps a teen build more positive self-beliefs and ways of coping with life’s challenges. As a result, these processes can reduce physical symptoms of depression. 

Interpersonal Therapy

This form of therapy helps teens understand how problems in relationships can contribute to their physical symptoms and feelings – and healthy ways to work through these issues.

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

TMS can be effective in treating treatment-resistant depression. It’s a non-invasive treatment that uses magnetic fields to activate nerve cells in targeted areas of the brain – improving outlook and mood.

Each of these therapies can be used to treat different types of teen depression in both residential mental health treatment programs and outpatient programs, depending on a teen’s needs. 

Teenager in therapy for physical signs of depression

When to Seek Support for the Physical Signs of Depression in Teenagers

If you’re concerned about bodily indicators of adolescent depression, it’s important to seek help as soon as possible. Depression can cause long-term problems for a teen’s mental and physical well-being. A doctor might be the first port of call for physical concerns, but if there are no medical reasons for why a teen is experiencing physical signs of depression, a mental health professional can help. 

Mission Prep’s team of trained professionals offers comprehensive and individual depression treatment in various locations for teens with physical symptoms of depression. We can help teenagers understand how their bodily sensations are connected to what they’re going through emotionally – and how to create healthy ways of coping with distress. Our aim is to instill a sense of hope, connection, and belonging in teens with depression, helping them realize they’re not alone and can overcome their difficulties. Contact us today for information and support. 

References

  1. World Health Organization. (n.d.). Adolescent mental health. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-mental-health
  2. Goodyer, I., Reynolds, S., Barrett, B., Byford, S., Dubicka, B., Hill, J., … Fonagy, P. (2017). Cognitive behavioural therapy and short-term psychoanalytical psychotherapy versus a brief psychosocial intervention in adolescents with unipolar major depressive disorder (IMPACT): A multicentre, pragmatic, observer-blind, randomised controlled superiority trial. The Lancet Psychiatry, 4(2), 109–119. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(16)30378-9
  3. Kitagawa, Y., Ando, S., Yamasaki, S., Foo, J. C., Okazaki, Y., Shimodera, S., Nishida, A., Togo, F., & Sasaki, T. (2017). Appetite loss as a potential predictor of suicidal ideation and self-harm in adolescents: A school-based study. Appetite, 111, 7-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2016.12.026
  4. Cole, D. A., Cho, J., Martin, N. C., Youngstrom, E. A., March, J. S., Findling, R. L., Compas, B. E., Goodyer, I. M., Rohde, P., Weissman, M., Essex, M. J., Hyde, J. S., Curry, J. F., Forehand, R., Slattery, M. J., Felton, J. W., & Maxwell, M. A. (2012). Are Increased Weight and Appetite Useful Indicators of Depression in Children and Adolescents? Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 121(4), 838. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0028175
  5. Simmons, W. K., Burrows, K., Avery, J. A., Kerr, K. L., Bodurka, J., Savage, C. R., & Drevets, W. C. (2016). Depression-related increases and decreases in appetite reveal dissociable patterns of aberrant activity in reward and interoceptive neurocircuitry. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 173(4), 418. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2015.15020162
  6. Harvard Health Publishing. (n.d.). The gut-brain connection. Harvard Medical School. https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/the-gut-brain-connection
  7. Anxiety and Depression Association of America. (n.d.). How to calm an anxious stomach: The brain-gut connection. https://adaa.org/learn-from-us/from-the-experts/blog-posts/consumer/how-calm-anxious-stomach-brain-gut-connection
  8. Surah, A., Baranidharan, G., & Morley, S. (2014). Chronic pain and depression. Continuing Education in Anaesthesia Critical Care & Pain, 14(2), 85-89. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjaceaccp/mkt046
  9. Carney, R. M., & Freedland, K. E. (2003). Depression, mortality, and medical morbidity in patients with coronary heart disease. Biological Psychiatry, 54(3), 241–247. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0006-3223(03)00111-2
  10. Janke, E. A., Holroyd, K. A., & Romanek, K. (2004). Depression increases onset of tension-type headache following laboratory stress. Pain, 111(3), 230. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pain.2004.06.007
  11. Padda, J., Khalid, K., Hitawala, G., Batra, N., Pokhriyal, S., Mohan, A., Zubair, U., Cooper, A. C., & Jean-Charles, G. (2021). Depression and Its Effect on the Menstrual Cycle. Cureus, 13(7), e16532. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.16532
  12. Yu, M., Han, K., & Nam, G. E. (2017). The association between mental health problems and menstrual cycle irregularity among adolescent Korean girls. Journal of Affective Disorders, 210, 43–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2016.11.036

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